


The Piece I Was Missing

by andreashipss



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Happy Ending, Mostly Fluff, background Pipsy, daisy's an annoying supportive friend, mackelena, not much i promise, painter au, pinch of angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-17 16:06:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16519697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andreashipss/pseuds/andreashipss
Summary: Elena needed something new in her life. She ended up in a humble painter's shop, and Mack changed everything.





	The Piece I Was Missing

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Gort](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gort/gifts).



Elena's life was routine. She gets up in the morning, goes to work, goes home, and repeats. When she first moved here, to this new and strange country, it felt like everyone around her was moving at a faster pace and she was being left in the dust.

She had always been a fast learner though, so she caught up quickly.

Now? Life was boring. There were no races anymore. No race to find a house, to find a job: those races had ended. And she had won. So now, she was ahead and bored.

She voiced her complaints to Daisy, one of her close friends and also her roommate, who only replied with, "You just need to get laid."

Elena rolled her eyes. "Why is that your solution to everything?"

"I'm serious! If you're so bored, spice things up a bit! It's what I did." She shrugged nonchalantly. "And look at me now."

"Wow, an annoying and unhelpful friend, exactly who I wanna be," Elena sarcastically quipped back, flicking a hair tie at her. "You just got lucky that your _experimental phase_ landed you a girlfriend."

"At least I have someone. When was the last time _you_ were in a relationship, hm? Or at least...you know... _got a bit naughty_?" Daisy wiggled her eyebrows, laughing when Elena threw an entire pillow at her. "All I'm saying is, you can't change your life without _changing_. Dude, if you do the same thing over and over every day of your life, obviously nothing's gonna change. You gotta go out and do _something_. Meet people. Try new things. Figure out what makes you...not bored." Daisy shrugged again and settled back into the couch, seemingly having decided that that was enough pep talks for one day.

Elena was quiet for a moment, dwelling on her words before slowly nodding. "I guess you're right. Though change for me isn't gonna be sleeping with every man and woman that looks at me."

"Hey, it got me Piper. No regrets."

When Elena drove home the next day, she passed by a cluster of stores and decided to stop. In all of her almost five years of living there and driving past the area, she had never stopped by. It was time for her to take Daisy's advice, and change up her life a bit.

She walked along the sidewalk, seeing different clothing and jewelry stores. She paused a few times to look through windows, finding a few interesting things here and there. She passed by a music store, staring at the instruments and thinking about what it would be like to learn. Maybe that was what she needed, a bit of music to mix things up.

Elena had almost worked up the nerve to walk in, when something else caught her eye. A small store, much smaller than any of the others, with art on display outside of it. Beautiful colors painted over canvases, forming captivating landscapes and portraits. The words _Painting with Hope_ were written at the top of the store. Intrigued, she walked closer, admiring the amount of detail that seemed to have been put into it. She looked at the sign advertising the paintings. Without pausing to think about it or second guess herself, she walked in the store.

It was small and humble, two of the walls covered in different paintings. A counter was sat in front of them with a cash register, and the other side of the store had multiple easels, chairs, paints, and brushes.

A large man, almost twice the size of her, stood from one of the chairs, separating himself from the canvas he was working on. He approached her, a small smile on his lips and his eyes sparkling.

"Hi, welcome, you looking for anything?"

Elena stared at him for a moment, struck by how the fact that he was towering over her didn't even intimidate her due to the waves of kindness practically rolling off of him. "Um, no actually, just passing through. Did you do all of these?"

He nodded. "You're welcome to make requests and I can do a specific painting for you. Or I even do portraits of people if you want. I warn you though, you have to be able to sit and do nothing for a while." He chuckled lightly. "I also do lessons, if you're interested in learning."

She walked over to a painting, the Eiffel Tower with a sunset in the background, quietly observing it. Something about this place just lit a match inside of her, and the boredom that was eating away at her insides was slowly fading.

"I would like that, I think. What times are you available for lessons?"

•

"Well, well, well, someone looks happy. And you're home late. Which has never happened before. What'd you do? What'd you do?"

Daisy was attacking her with the question before she had even gotten the chance to put her keys down.

"I signed up to take a painting lesson."

Daisy's excitement seemed to deflate at those words, and she raised an eyebrow, her nose scrunching up. "A _painting lesson_? Like-" She waved a hand through the air like she was holding a paintbrush. "That kind of painting?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "No, the kind of painting where you ride unicorns."

Daisy huffed in return. " _That's_ how you're gonna spice up your life? I thought Jem was the nerd!"

"Yes, because I should be doing something cool, like hitting a gay bar with you and Piper."

"I mean...you could."

Elena sighed, pulling out the card Mack had given her with the studio's number. Off to the side, it had a picture of him holding a brush to a canvas, giving a wonderful view of his bicep, which she knew would get Daisy's attention. "This is what the guy teaching me looks like."

Daisy grabbed the card, eyeing her skeptically before looking at it, her eyes widening. "Damn," she breathed. "And here I thought you _weren'_ t looking to get laid."

"I'm not!"

"Mhm, sure."

•

 As she walked into the shop Mack gave Elena a warm smile that she couldn't help reciprocating.

"Hey, you ready to dive right in?" She nodded, tying her hair up into a messy bun. He handed her an apron that she slipped on, tying it around her waist. "Okay, come here. We're starting with a simple landscape. I've already done the basic outline, all that's left to do is paint it." She walked over to where a canvas was set up with pencil marks on it, resting on an easel.

He handed her a brush, holding out a pallet with different colors on its. "Start with a shade of green to be the base for the grass. Don't use too much paint at once, and use light strokes."

She carefully dipped the brush into the green, and went to the canvas, nervous about marking the perfectly blank piece in front of her. She tentatively dragged the brush across, looking over at Mack for confirmation that she was doing okay. He nodded encouragingly, so she continued with renewed confidence. She made a few marks before she heard him chuckle beside her and grip her elbow gently to stop her from doing more.

"You're not doing bad, don't worry. Just slow down a bit. Take your time, art takes patience. Don't go too fast."

She laughed lightly, blushing. "That always seems to be a problem with me."

"That's okay. Just try and let the brush go smoothly across, don't press in too hard, and don't rush it."

She nodded, sticking her tongue out in concentration. When Elena still couldn't seem to get it, Mack set the pallet down and reached over, his hand hovering over hers. "Can I lead your hand for a bit? So you can get a feel for it?" She nodded, giving her consent for him to wrap his hand around hers. His hand was warm, albeit a bit calloused, and it dwarfed her smaller one. He moved closer to be able to comfortably reach the canvas, his body warmth reaching Elena through the small distance apart they were. She held back a shiver as goosebumps erupted up and down her body. 

He led their joined hands with the brush back towards the painting, swiping it across is slower strokes. Elena watched with fascination as the paint swirled across, Mack carrying the brush, and her hand along with it, with ease, as if he had been doing this his whole life.

Eventually, he let go, stepping back. "Think you got it?"

"Yeah." She bit her lip, dipping her brush in paint again and trying to mimic his movements.

He grinned. "There you go."

"So slowing down is the trick. Got it, _Turtleman_ ," She joked, unable to help the teasing smile that played on her lips.

Mack laughed, shaking his head. "I'm looking forward to lessons with you."

Too fast, an hour passed by, and Elena was forced to pull away from the canvas, that was actually starting to look like something was forming. She scheduled another class for the next week, and paid Mack what she owed him before bidding him farewell.

When she got back to her apartment, she found Jemma, Daisy, Piper, and Bobbi all waiting for her. They looked up at her arrival, eyes glowing.

"So how was your _painting class_?" Bobbi asked, smirking from where she was sitting on the couch.

Elena rolled her eyes, sending a pointed glare at Daisy. "Seriously?"

Daisy shrugged in response. "They asked me where you were, since you never go out. So I answered."

Elena scoffed, sure Daisy didn't need much prompting to spill. She plopped down on the couch between her and Jemma, stealing the beer from her roommate's hand. Jemma elbowed her playfully, grinning. "So what was it like? Finally doing something different? Painting must've been fun."

"Nerds," Daisy mumbled under her breath, earning her a glare from both Elena and Jemma, causing her to bury her face into Piper's neck to hide her smile.

"The lesson was great, I'm going again next week, Mack was very nice, and no, we didn't make out or anything like that," Elena said quickly, directing the last part to her roommate before taking a drink.

"Okay, but was he like, polite nice or 'I'm into you' nice?" Bobbi raised an eyebrow.

The latina rolled her eyes again. "You're all unbelievable."

Piper raised a hand, looking offended. "I haven't done anything to you."

"You and Daisy keep me awake all night. This apartment has thin walls."

Piper slowly lowered her hand.

•

As the lessons continued, Elena was slowly starting to get the hang of it, leading to Mack not having to correct her as much. Instead, they made conversation, learning more about each other. Mack told her about growing up and learning how to paint with his mom before she passed, and his struggle to get a business up and running. In return, Elena told him about coming to America and learning a whole other language in order to get a job. Every once in a while he would offer feedback on her painting, giving tips and suggestions. Eventually, the lessons started feeling less like lessons and more like coming to chat with a friend. 

Elena found herself disappointed when she looked at the clock and saw that the time was almost up on their latest session. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face, leaning back and looking at the painting. It was close to done, hardly any white left at this point. As if he could read her thoughts, Mack chuckled.

"Don't think you're almost done. I still have to teach you how to blend in more color and add in shading."

Elena huffed. "How long does it take you to finish a painting?"

He shrugged, a smile playing on his lips. "Around a month, if I hurry." She gaped at him, causing him to laugh and raise an eyebrow. "Well did you think it happened over night?"

She scrunched up her nose. "Turtleman."

Mack grinned back at her, before checking the time himself. "Well, it looks like we're out of time, but you want the same time again next week?"

Elena nodded, heading over to the sink to wash the paint off of her hands. When she was done, she reached into her purse to pay Mack, but looked up to see him biting his lip to stifle laughter. "What?"

He pointed at her. "You have paint on your face."

She rolled her eyes, looking at herself in the camera on her phone, finding a smudge of paint across her cheek, probably from scratching herself. She looked up again to see him offering her a rag, a knowing smile on his face.

"Don't worry, that's happened to me more times than I can count."

She rubbed at the spot on her cheek, and without meaning to she let out a whine of frustration when it wouldn't come off.

"Here, mind if I try?"

She eyed him, before sighing and handing him the rag. He placed it under the faucet to get it wet before returning it to Elena's face, rubbing at the spot again nowhere near as violent as she was being earlier. Eventually, he pulled away with a satisfied smile. "Got it."

She examined her face before smiling. "Gracias. I did not want to go get lunch with this on my face." Now she did reach into her wallet, handing him money.

 He took it, and as he walked around the counter he said, "I was about to go get lunch too. Where were you headed?"

Elena shrugged. "Probably Taco Bell." She bit her lip, debating something, before blurting, "Want to join me?"

He seemed to think about it too, but he eventually nodded. "Sure. Let me lock the place up first."

She sat down in one of the chairs as Mack put things away, grabbing the cash that was in the register and stuffing it in his wallet. He grabbed his keys and made his was back over to her, that warm smile on his face. Elena briefly wondered how someone could just so naturally _always_ have a smile on his face. Especially one that calmed everyone it was directed at. At least, she imagined it calmed everyone, because it definitely had that effect on her.

"Ready to go?" His voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she nodded, leading the way into the parking lot. She was about to climb into her car, but she froze when he called out, "Wait." She turned to look at him, a questioning look on her face as he pursed his lips nervously, seemingly unsure. "Do you have anywhere to be?"

She thought over his question for a moment, glancing at her phone screen to make sure Daisy hadn't texted. "No. Why?"

"Mind if I show you something? I know a scenic route that leads further into town, if you want to ride with me. Its really nice this time of year."

"Trying to kidnap me, Turtleman?" She teased, even as she was already walking towards his car.

He opened his mouth quickly as if reassure her that that wasn’t the case before he seemed to notice she was joking, to which he only rolled his eyes, opening the passenger door for her.

Elena climbed in, buckling her seatbelt as he started the car. She reached towards the radio, shooting him a questioningly look. "Do you mind?"

Mack shook his head. "Be my guest."

"Technically I already am." She gave a cheeky grin as she turned music on. As soon as the first song started playing, they both began singing along, laughing at each other while doing it. Elena watched in a fit of laughter as Mack belted out to Adele.

“You have to make the note even higher!”

“Oh my bad.” He cleared his throat before making his voice ridiculously high pitched, only being able to hold it for all of two seconds before they both erupted in an uproar of laughter. 

“Why are you a painter? You're missing the opportunity of a singing career.”

“Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

She sighed, shaking her head. “What a waste of your gift.”

The act finally dissipated, Mack glancing over with a grin as she snickered.  

The car slowed slightly, prompting Elena to look out the window. A gasp unconsciously left her mouth as she took in the landscape in front of her.

They were on a road with a dense forest on one side, the leaves turning warm shades of red and oranges, and on the other side was an open field, a river running through it.

"Ay Mack! Que belleza!" She pressed her face to the window, eyes dancing over all of it and trying to take it all in before they passed it. 

He chuckled. "That means pretty right? I don't know much Spanish."

She turned to look at him, beaming in adoration. "It means beautiful. You've painted this, no?" Her mind briefly remembered seeing something similar hung up in his shop.

He nodded. "There's a spot I like to sit at a few miles ahead. We'll stop by it."

The window begged for Elena's attention again, and she turned to look, watching as the colors flashed by in a blur. Eventually, Mack turned off the main road, heading down a smaller path that was slightly inclined. He stopped the car a couple feet before a ledge, shooting Elena a smile as they both got out of the car. Together they walked over, Elena's eyes widening at the view. It looked like the kind you only saw in photographs or artwork, not something you could witness in real life with your own two eyes.

And Elena _understood_. She saw Mack's love for painting in new light, because she wanted nothing more than to take this beautiful image and replicate it so she could keep it forever. A photograph taken and viewed on a screen could never be enough to capture everything in the moment. It had to be something _real,_ something that a person had poured their entire soul into. 

Mack watched Elena, a peaceful smile on her face, the wind softly blowing her hair back, her eyes gazing in awe at the landscape. Part of him wanted to gaze at her like this forever, and he briefly wondered if she could ever give him the honor of painting her. The idea seemed impossible, it wasn't like the fiery blaze that was _Elena Rodriguez_ could every be perfectly shown in one painting.

Elena tore her eyes away from the world in front of her, instead looking at the man responsible for showing it to her in the first place. They locked eyes, and something fluttered deep inside her chest, her breath catching. She found herself unable to look away, Mack seemingly feeling something similar. They stared into each other's eyes for what simultaneously felt like an eternity, and not enough time.

Eventually, his eyes darted away and Elena could breath again. She broke the silence, her voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you for bringing me here."

He nodded, a soft smile on his face. "We should actually get food now."

They got back in the car, and Elena leaned her head back, that relaxed smile returning to her face as they drove. She didn't reach for the radio this time, and they drove in a peaceful silence. It was comforting, and Elena had never been more grateful to Daisy for urging her to do something. This moment right here, this was exactly what she needed. She figured she could live in this moment for the rest of her life, and still be perfectly content. 

They stopped for food at a burger place, the nearest place they could find, sitting down across from each other to eat. They had argued for a while at the register over who would pay.

"I pay you to teach me to paint, Turtleman, not to feed me."

"You already pay me enough though!"

They eventually paid half and half.

Halfway through their food though, Mack got a call. He frowned at the caller ID, picking it up and saying, "Sorry, do you mind if I take this?" Elena gestured that it was okay, and he pressed the phone to his ear.

"Hey Fitz, what's up?" A small smile played on his face as he slapped away Elena's hand, that was trying to sneakily get close to his fries. The smile slowly melted from his face as the voice on the other end of the phone replied.

"A pipe burst in your shop. I heard it and went over and tried to save as much of your stuff as I could, but a lot got ruined. There's a hole in the ceiling, the place is flooded. You need to get here."

Mack cursed under his breath, his heart sinking. How on earth would he muster the money to pay for the damages? He barely made enough to get by as it is. "Okay, I'm on my way now. Thanks Turbo."

He hung up, reaching a hand to rub his temple.

"What happened?"

Elena was eyeing him with concern, her teasing forgotten.

"We have to head back. A pipe burst."

Her hand reached out to grip his forearm. "Ay Mack, I'm so sorry."

Mack mustered a weak smile, reveling in the warmth her hand gave for a moment before standing up. They rushed out of the restaurant and back into his car, Mack driving right at the speed limit until they finally pulled up. A man was standing outside, running his fingers through short, light brown hair. He turned as they pulled into the parking lot, rushing over to them.

"How's it looking Fitz?"

"Not very good. The cost for fixing that bloody pipe and the hole, not to mention all your equipment that was damaged..." He sighed, shaking his head. "Its a lot, Mack. I don't know where you can get that kind of money." Fitz pointed over to a stack of paintings on the sidewalk in front of the store. "That's all your work that I could save."

Mack let out a defeated sigh, rubbing his face. "Okay, okay, I'm sure we'll figure something out, alright? We just have to think."

Elena's hand once again grabbed his arm, a soothing and welcome feeling. He looked at her.

"Think we're going to have to stop lessons for a while. I have to go deal with this, you should head home."

She nodded slowly before asking for his phone. He frowned, unlocking it and giving it to her. She plugged her number before handing it back, softly saying, "Keep me updated."

As she drove back home, an idea slowly began to blossom in her mind.

•

_Elena: Any news on the cost?_

_Mack: Pipe's gonna be $3,000_

_Mack: Still trying to figure how bad the rest of it is, but the paint's were pretty expensive_

_Elena: Have any ideas yet?_

_Mack: On the total cost? I'd guess anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 dollars_

_Elena: I'm sorry_

_Elena: How are you?_

_Mack: Trying to handle it._

_Mack: Got to go. Meeting with the real estate._

_Elena: Good luck!_

_•_

_Elena: Hey can you guys put up some flyers for me where you work?_

_Bobbi: Sure, what for?_

_Daisy: Elena's trying to save her boyfriend's shop_

_Elena: Not my boyfriend._

_Jemma: What happened to his shop?_

_Elena: Pipe burst_

_Elena: So can you guys put up flyers or not?_

_Elena: [image.png}_

_Jemma: I'll drop by to get some_

_Bobbi: ^^^_

_Daisy: What if we made a website?_

_Bobbi: What's this? Is Daisy being helpful and not being annoying for once?_

_Daisy: Oh I already regret it_

_Bobbi: Kidding kidding_

_Elena: A website's not bad idea actually_

_Jemma: FUNDRAISING PARTY!!! Tonight at casa Rodriguez/Johnson_

_Daisy: What have we done?_

_Bobbi: The demon has been released_

_Elena: Run for cover_

_Jemma: I hate all of you_

_Jemma: Do you want my help or not?_

_Elena: See you all tonight_

_Daisy: Piper wants to join so she's gonna come too_

_Bobbi: Whipped_

_Daisy: I'm not the one creating a fundraiser for someone_

_Elena: Shut up_

_•_

_Elena: Can you get Mack away from his shop for a while?_

_Fitz: Who is this?_

_Elena: Mack's friend. Elena Rodriguez. I looked you up, there aren't very many people with the name Fitz_

_Fitz: Why do I need to get Mack away?_

_Elena: I might've gotten some money for repairs_

_Elena: I want it to be a surprise that the shop is fixed_

_Fitz: How long do you need?_

_Elena: A couple days so I can get people to clean the place up_

_Fitz: Consider it done_

_Fitz: Can I ask why you're doing all this for him?_

_..._

_Elena: He's a good man_

•

Mack headed back to his store, after almost a week away from it. According to Fitz, a group of people needed to make sure the water wasn't dangerous or filled with chemicals, so he wasn't allowed in until it was clear.

He pulled up, frowning at seeing all the blinds drawn closed. Fitz, who was standing outside, smiled warmly reached up to pat his shoulder. "Everything's great. I'm gonna head off though, you go inside and take a look."

Mack furrowed his brow, heading inside, his eyes widening as the lights flickered on. All the water was gone, the roof fully repaired, the place looking brand new. His eyes fell on Elena sitting casually on top of the counter. He gaped, slowly walking in.

"Wha-how is this even possible? Did you do this?"

She slid off the counter, heading over with a wide grin on her face. "I set up a couple things. Spread word and a lot of people were willing to donate. Paid for the damages." She held up a thick envelope filled with cash. "This is for the supplies. There's more money that was donated online."

He stared, not even knowing how to react. "Elena...this is...wow."

She nodded, a satisfied smile playing at her lips. "Your days running this shop are far from over, Turtleman."

"You're _amazing_ , Elena Rodriguez." Without warning, he barreled into her, easily lifting her off the ground and into his chest, spinning around.

She laughed, squealing in surprise, and hugged him back, his body wrapping around her.

Eventually, he slowly set her down in front of him, and Elena inhaled deeply. His arms hung loosely around her waist, as if not wanting to let go, and she looked up at him.

"Thank you," he breathed, much like she had that day on the ledge. That day that was perfect but also so horrible at the end.

They searched each other's eyes, still not backing away, as if searching for confirmation that they were both feeling this.

This connection.

She didn't know who moved first, all she knew was that in the next second Mack's lips were on hers, and nothing ever felt more right.

It was a rush, the most amazing kind of rush that she had been missing all her life. There, in his arms with their mouths connected, she felt _complete_.

It felt like coming home.


End file.
